Have You Gotten your Flu Vaccine??

Remember that getting your vaccination yearly helps to not only protect you from contracting influenza but those around you who may be more susceptible.

During the 2016-2017 flu season, Ottawa Public Health (OPH) administered 7,400 influenza vaccines at community clinics, and distributed over 253,000 doses of the vaccine across the City to physicians’ offices, hospitals and long-term care facilities. Pharmacies also received over 118, 300 doses of the vaccine.

For the 2017-2018 flu season, OPH will again focus on providing access to the flu vaccine to the general population through physicians’ offices and pharmacy providers, as well as targeted outreach to vulnerable populations.

210 Ottawa pharmacies will be offering the influenza vaccine; up from 184 pharmacies last year.

A list of participating pharmacies can be found here. Many pharmacies are open long hours, and are located throughout the city, making the publicly funded influenza vaccine more accessible. In addition, more than 300 physicians’ offices across the city will be offering the flu vaccine to their patients.

OPH will also be offering 12 community clinics in different areas of the city from October 28, 2017 to November 20, 2017. The locations of these clinics address gaps where pharmacy vaccination is not readily available.

Residents can find the OPH community Clinic location that is most convenient to them by consulting the list here.

I highly encourage all residents to take the time out of their busy lives to protect their health and the health of others this flu season. Remember that nobody likes a vaccination but even less people want to get sick!